Cards, yes cards

Hi all!

Well my mom finally ran out of cards and has asked for 25 more (she has been asking for awhile actually) so I am back to doing some card making!  Today I scouted around for some challenges to get me going and I am submitting this duo for the following:

• SCS - card sketch Wed.
• Loves Rubber Stamps - buttons and bows
• Chocolate, coffee and cards - polka dots

I must admit I am a little rusty at this and despite the sketch giving ample room for a focal point I had a hard time with the tiny size!

I probably haven't bought a 6 x 6 paper pad in over 3 years.  So I have a drawer half full of paper, none of which I like anymore - at least most of it I am over.  However I did find a couple pieces I liked!  I wanted to do a semi-mixed media type focal layer - the idea in my head looked much different than it turned out but I decided they are keepers.  The first one has Distress Inks for the background.  I pounced them on my craft sheet, misted with water and then swiped the white cardstock through it.

 For the second card I wanted to do something similar but with Shimmering mists for the background.  I mixed them up myself using ColourArte Primary Elements Pigment Powder, gum arabic and water.  This gives me subtle color AND shimmer.  I added some green polka dots by sponging ColourArte Silks Acrylic Glaze through sequin waste.  Finally I stamped a floral image from Crafter's Companion on each one using Archival Ink.  I added sentiments from my much loved and much used massive collection of Studio G $1 stamps - does anyone remember those?  Ahhh those were the days....

Live Now!

Hi all!

Pezza's challenge piece turned out so nicely I just had to make one myself to enter into the following challenges

• Tim Holtz 12 tags - July
• Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - Around the House
• Pile It On - Embossing

I don't do tags so instead I incorporated my smaller piece into a larger page sized to fit in my 8 x 8 loose leaf journal I have been making in my Journal Soup class with Kate Crane.  I followed Tim's tutorial as closely as I could - I was lacking a few products as he comes out with products far faster than my budget can keep up with now that I don't work!

My base page background followed his background and then I added a bit more to it by stamping with bubble wrap and distress paint, then I sponged embossing ink through sequin waste and sprinkled on Distress Embossing Powder for a nice tone on tone effect.  Finally, I took the leftover gritty goop mix (the "sand" in his tutorial) and I spread that through the same sequin waste.  I am quite pleased!

Here is a closer look at the main part - that Rock Candy crackle followed by Distress Stain is fantastic!  For the "around the House" challenge I have used the packaging from an embossing folder for my embossed plastic layer and I tied my metal tag on with kitchen twine I used to use to stake my gladiolas.  The Live Now tag is perfect - I am a live in the now type and my poor hubby is a plan for the future type so we tend to drive each other nuts!  But there is a good reason opposites attract - we balance each other out.

This was my first time playing with the Distress Glitter - I love how it sparkles in the "tree branch" goop I made.  I am thinking I need the rest of the colors - it is quite deelish!  If there is anyone who would like some Distress Embossing powder super cheap let me know - I still have several jars of colors in the inventory left from my store and would be willing to part with it quite cheaply!

Thanks for having a look!  Let me know what you think as I love to get comments.  Did anyone else participate in either of these challenges?

A new story

Hi all!

I have been taking a class from the very talented Kate Crane called Journal Soup and having a lot of fun with it.  It has forced me to go outside of my comfort zone and boy do I resist that but I am quite pleased with the results.  Here is my fourth page:

Of course I couldn't resist making up my own shimmering color mists with my hands down favorite product - Primary Elements by CoulourArte.

When I tilt it in the light it just glows!  NEVER gets old!

I collected a fantastic list of things to do for yourself that was posted somewhere around New Year's - I wish I had kept track of the link.  I have been making journal pages with them so I can think about them and try to keep them in mind - life sure can be a struggle sometimes!  I don't think I have posted all of the pages here, maybe I will.  Not sure anyone would see them so I have been posting them on Facebook and leaving it at that...

Pezza plays - Tim Holtz Tag: July

Hi all!

Is everyone having a fun summer?  Pezza has been playing in the studio with me and we decided to do the current tag tutorial on Tim's blog for July as well as incorporating the current Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - Around the House.  Here is hers - she wanted to do a Christmas theme instead of the beach theme Tim did.

We don't have all of the new stuff Tim has come out with - my budget stopped being able to keep up with him years ago!  But we did our best.  Her background followed his and she used a cool snowflake embossing folder for her acetate layer - we used a piece of plastic packaging from an embossing folder!  She decided to do foil snowflakes with alcohol ink instead of the distress embossing powder - she is obsessed with his alcohol inks, always has been.

Instead of sand she mixed up some snow using the same ingredients - she loves the distress glitter!  In this picture you can really see the cool look of the tree - grungeboard tree, painted and then covered in Rock Candy Crackle and inked over with Distress Stain to seep into the cracks.  She had a lot of fun with this and was so proud of the fact that she did it on her own!

Peace - Mixed Media/Art Journaling

Hi all!

I have been taking quite the break from blogging but not from creating!  I am in a quandry over whether or not I should continue to blog or just share my creations on Facebook - my wall and the various FB groups I belong to....

I am sharing one of my favorites from the last couple of months - Peace:

I have been trying to participate in a new journal challenge group (a few actually) and have gone back to the way I started art journaling - on loose pages.  I really wanted to love being free and loose in art journaling books but then I mess up other pages and I am just maybe a little TOO free and TOO loose and way TOO MESSY!  So this is a better fit for me.  I have a book - scrapbook actually - with 8" x 8" clear plastic page covers.  So I am going to put my pages in those as I finish them.  Of course my page shimmers as always thanks to a generous misting with Luminarte Primary Elements sprays.

My little image is from A Day For Daisies and is colored using my Polychromos colored pencils.

The shimmer of products from Luminarte are SO amazing!  I encourage you to check them out and add some to your box of tricks!  You can purchase them at Dreaming In Color.

A simple little funky village

Hi all!

Well I do love snow but even I am getting a bit tired of snowy winters.  I am chomping at the bit for spring to arrive so I can head out to my gardens and dig in the dirt!  Truth is I may finally be over snowy winters for good!  Might even be able to be convinced to one day live somewhere with no snow in winter.  But not while Pezza is little - she loves it too much!

I have been scrambling around for balance and failing miserably.  BUT I have long admired the work of fellow Luminarte artist Jodi Ohl and when I saw her mini version of her Funky Cities class for half the cost of the full version I jumped at the chance to try something new!

I must say I was operating far outside of my comfort zone as well as using a medium I am not too familiar with - acrylic paints.  Not the $1.79 craft paints I usually use but big girl paints!

I have slowly collected tubes of these more expensive paints - and some of them can go as much as $12 for a tiny tube so I use my coupons at Michaels or watch for them to be 40% off!  I have to say the difference is striking!  The colors are so vibrant!

I have also been attempting to participate with a Blog/Facebook art journaling group called Journal 52 and we have weekly prompts.  This one was for the week 2 prompt - "Somewhere, A Simple Place."  I think of mine more as funky little villages - a fun, simple, doodled place!

It was SUCH fun that I have already started on a second one and Pezza is doing one with me so I can teach her about the techniques.  She is QUITE pleased at using the big girl paints like Mommy!  Now to find some time to do some more!

Journal 52 day - week 1

Hi all!

I came across a journaling prompt Facebook group called Journal 52 starting up for the new year and thought I would join in the fun.  There is a new prompt each week - this week the prompt is "Up, up and away."  Pezza decided to join in on this one too (being as how we were having the Xmas break that never ends - thanks a lot Polar Vortex :P)

In addition to the Journal 52 challenge we decided to use something else I made up to help - I made a bunch of product/technique prompts and we turned them all over and drew some to help our work along.

I suggested we draw 6 but Pezza insisted on drawing more.  Here are hers:

She actually had 9 but it got to a point where I was like ok we can only do so much at once.....

She did such a great job!  I try my best to give her as much freedom as I can - offering product usage info and suggestions but I let her make some choices too.

Her background has some subtle shimmer and I love the doodling she did with the gel pens!  She is getting better at stenciling with pastes too.

And here is mine:

I left a few of the tags out!  Six was more than enough!

I was inspired by the sunrise at the bus stop this morning - brilliant pinks, oranges and yellows masked by the cool soft tones of blueish purple clouds.....

"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."  ~Helen Keller